Scouting the Broncos: Cornerbacks

Doc BearApr 11, 2011 12:00 PM

Although no team in recent memory has complained of having too many talented cornerbacks, Denver is in a good situation at this time. There are factors that could change that - such as the possibility that Perrish Cox is convicted in his sexual assault case and does jail time - but as things stand today, Denver has a fairly nice group at the CB position. Here’s the breakdown:

#

Name

Ht

Wt

Age

Exp

School

2011 Salary

Signed Through

24

Champ Bailey

6-0

192

32

12

Georgia

$11,000,000

2014

32

Perrish Cox

6-0

198

24

R

Oklahoma State

$405,000

2013

21

Andre' Goodman

5-10

184

32

9

South Carolina

$2,880,000

2013

29

Chevis Jackson

5-11

193

25

3

LSU

$555,000

2011

33

Nate Jones

5-10

185

28

7

Rutgers

$800,000

2013

22

Syd'Quan Thompson

5-9

191

24

R

California

$405,000

2013

41

Cassius Vaughn

5-11

195

23

R

Mississippi

$405,000

2012

I’m guessing at this point that Chevis Jackson is camp fodder - could be wrong, but I haven’t seen anything from him at this point. Although a third-round choice in 2008 (by Atlanta), Denver is already Jackson's fourth NFL home (they claimed him last December of waivers from New England). Nate Jones doesn’t thrill me, but the ability to move to safety or corner is prized in the NFL, and he is one player who can do that. With his versatility added to the other players we’ll discuss, I think that Denver’s cornerback group is in fairly good shape moving forward. Here’s why, listed alphabetically:

Champ Bailey defines the position, has the kind of confidence that every good CB has (but rarely needs it, since he rarely gets beaten) and has every skill that you could ask for. He mirrors well, knows where the ball is and often gets to it before the receiver. He loves to play off-man coverage, starting with his back to the sideline so that he’s able to read the WR and the QB at the snap. He’ll turn 33 in June but plays like he’s 25, and he has the experience to see the field in a way that few cornerbacks can boast. Champ’s a quiet leader, usually guiding by example, but he is comfortable mentoring the younger players both in the film room and on the field. Champ is one of the best in the game, and I doubt that will change much over the four years of his new contract.

Perrish Cox has shown the kind of consistent confidence that a CB in the NFL needs. He was beaten more than a few times during his 2010 rookie year, but that’s part of being a pro. He was thrown into the mix quickly when Andre' Goodman was hurt, and opposing QBs don’t pass towards Champ when there’s a rookie on the other side - so he’s dealt with a tough situation. Even so, he’s got classic size, and although slightly short on speed, Cox has very good route recognition for a young player and has excellent short area quickness. I expect him to continue to develop, if he can get his legal issues solved.

Andre' Goodman is a top CB as far as coverage goes. He has a weakness in his tackling skills, perhaps due to being a little light, and I don’t know exactly how he’ll fit into the new defense, and whether the new defense will run more man or zone coverage. He gives Denver two top coverage CBs, and that’s never a detriment. However, he also turns 33 before the next season starts, and injuries may be catching up to him more than they are to Champ. We’ll find out during the preseason.

Syd’Quan Thompson has confidence in spades. He’s not fast over the long haul, but he’s extremely quick in short areas and is pretty much made for a zone coverage scheme. He tackles well, using all of his weight and usually wrapping up well. He’s very tough for his size, and his route and play recognition are very good, which go a long way to compensating for his lack of pure speed. I’d expect him to flourish if Denver goes to a zone-dominant approach to the defense.

I’m honestly not sure on Cassius Vaughn yet - he’s faster than heck (his best time at Combine was 4.36) and has the length that you hope for in a CB, but he doesn’t seem to have the best level of natural skill, tends to side-shuffle his feet at times, and generally needs work on his footwork. Due to those tendencies (and others) he can give up position to the receivers. I like him, though: I thought that he did well in limited reps over the course of 2010, and with some development he could be a contributor in dime packages. He’s also playing well on special teams. I’d like to see him kept and developed more, which affects how I see the draft and free agency with respect to this position.

It’s often said that if you can’t start, you’d better contribute on special teams; and with a great kick-return TD in the season finale versus San Diego, Vaughn may have given himself a role on the team. From where I’m sitting, I think it a good idea to get wideout Eddie Royal off of the return team - Eddie’s not that big, he’s recovering from hip surgery and with Vaughn’s speed, Cassius could step in and handle that role for the team, permitting Eddie to work on his WR function. For whatever reason, it’s common for return men to not play receiver quite as well when they do both - I honestly don’t know why, but the stats on it that I’ve seen were fairly compelling. Cassius’ ability to handle mistakes without being affected by them hasn’t come up yet to the point where I could say yes or no to that question with him.

Speed and the CB position

Here’s Bill Walsh again:

Of course, you need quickness and explosion. Full-sprint speed is important, but there have been cornerbacks who have overcome a lack of sprinters' speed and played many years and become Pro Bowl participants. You'd like to think of the cornerback being able to run 40 yards in under 4.5 seconds. He must be able to do the kinds of things receivers do when they go up for a ball. The great cornerbacks have been good against the run, too.

Cornerback is one of the few positions were the 40-yard dash has been shown to be a good indicator of eventual success in the NFL (along with the other necessary skills, of course). That being the case, I went back on most of the players to see what their speed was at their respective combines. Vaughn’s average speed for the 40 was 4.43, so he’s well under the mark. Cox had a low of 4.42, but an average of 4.58. His straight-line speed isn’t top drawer, and that was exposed some last year. It’s not a huge problem - his issues seem to lie more in getting his recognition down and getting his first step faster. He’s close in speed, even if not perfect - he’ll need to make up for the speed issue with technique. Syd’Quan Thompson is a bit slow by CB standards - Syd timed at 4.62 with a low time of 4.52. He had one bad run of 4.78, and it tainted his other times. As Ted pointed out in his excellent You Got Served of April 1, Syd’Quan’s very quick in the short zone, and will play zone very well for Denver on the plays that they go with that approach. Syd’Quan also has a talent for reading routes and reading the QB, and that will serve him, and Denver, well. Being fast is important, but reaction quickness can make up for a full tenth of a second or more. I dug out Andre' Goodman’s 40 and found that it was timed at 4.36, which helps explain his long career in the NFL.

Champ Bailey, as most fans know, timed at a blazing 4.28 in the 40. That and the ability to read the QB, backpedal in perfect form, flip his hips smoothly, see and recognize what the WR is trying to do and to jump the route have created one of the most recognized players in history, with ten Pro Bowl selections in his twelve seasons. When you to this add his ability to take joy in hammering the running back, his willingness to tackle anyone and his desire to play special teams long after most players would have given it up, you have a picture of the ultimate CB. Sure, he’s going to slow a bit over the course of his thirties, but the game has slowed down for him so much that it really doesn’t matter much at this point, and may not for years. His efforts in shutting down Kansas City's Dwayne Bowe (0 catches) and Baltimore's Anquan Boldin (1 catch) and keeping Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald and Indy's Reggie Wayne out of the end zone last season were classic Champ and showed how little his skills have diminished. Champ has been penalized for pass interference only once during the last four years in the 291 times he was targeted. That’s 0.34%, according to Stats Inc. On top of everything else, Champ is an unusually disciplined player.

By the way, there are different factors that you can read from the three phases of the 40-yard dash, so let’s use them to take a look at how Champ managed to break the 4.3 mark in his 40. First, Champ’s 10-yard split - the first ten of the run - was timed at 1.48 seconds, which tells you that he explodes off the line like a half pound of Semtex. It’s a very high mark, and a very low time, so he came off to a fast start. It tells you that he’s got an unusually high percentage of fast-twitch fibers in his musculature. His 20-yard split was timed at 2.49, so he gets even faster as he moves. He covered that second 10 yards in 1.01 seconds, which is outrageous. When you look at that mark against his 4.28 total, that means that he covered the last 20 yards in 1.79 seconds, so he was continuing to get faster as he ran, which is fairly rare. Most players either hold to their top speed over the last 20 (or even slow slightly from fatigue if they aren’t in top shape) but Champ averaged 0.9 seconds for each segment of those final yards, running even faster as he ran farther. That tells you that he was in top physical shape and has excellent slow twitch capacity as well. The receivers that he plays against will tell you that, too.

All in all, just by breaking down his timed 40, taken in total, you can see that this is a rare specimen of a football player. It’s not surprising that when you add his impressive cognitive abilities and his willingness to charge into contact and tackle like a linebacker, you get one of the best cornerbacks to play the game. I hope that he ends his career in Denver - probably as a safety, which will give Denver one of the best centerfielders in the game for a few years, and then goes to Canton on the first ballot, as he well deserves to do.

Conclusion

With Bailey, Goodman, Cox, Thompson and Vaughn, you’ve got an excellent group with a variety of skillsets. Denver may hit the free agent market if Goodman doesn’t fit their needs, and you never pass on a cornerback in the draft who others don’t seem to ‘get’, but I don’t look for Denver to take LSU's Patrick Peterson and I don’t see them using a high pick on this position. They are already flush with young talent, and have two solid veterans to boot.

It’s a good bet that Denver, with all the other needs it has, will hold back on drafting anyone to the cornerback position unless they go to a zone coverage defense and decide to bring in someone to replace Goodman. Even then, I’d see a veteran free-agent pickup as a high likelihood. The current combination of veteran leadership and young, developing talent gives the Broncos some breathing room. They don’t really need any receivers, can take a TE or stand pat in that group for a year, and they are in good shape at CB. When you’re rebuilding a team, having some areas of strength makes a big difference.

When’s that draft? Go Broncos!

Learn to laugh at yourself. You will be ceaselessly amused. - Sri Gary Olsen

You can reach Doc at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or follow him on Twitter @alloverfatman

Interesting take on why McDaniels chose Nate Jones. That was the same reason the Spags gave for picking McDaniels as his OC. That was a heckuva comeback in the 4th Quarter!

Posted by BlackKnight on 2011-04-13 05:39:19

Drew made me realize something that should be said regarding Champ&#8230as much as we all like to beat up on Shanny for neglecting the D in the draft and missing on so many picks and free agents, he hit the ball out of the park in obtaining Bailey&#8230

Posted by ncm42 on 2011-04-13 02:10:01

Hey, BK!

Looked up Nate Jones - his average time in the 40 was 4.52, according to Nfldraftscout.com, but a little higher according to his Pro Day info. His Pro Day was on March 10, 2004 and his numbers were:

So, adequate/decent 40, good vertical for his size, good short shuttle, decent cone drill, good broad jump and lousy upper body strength.

After his career at Rutgers (he had 219 tackles, five interceptions, 18 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries over 4 years. He also returned 82 kickoffs for a 23.2, yard average with three touchdowns and blocked three kicks), where he also showed promise as a return man, he was taken in the 7th round, 4th pick by Dallas (205 overall). He played for Dallas over the first 4 years of his career as a backup, then went with Miami where he was reunited with Parcells in 2008 and &#821609 on a two year contract. Miami used two of their 3 first picks in the draft on CBs in 2009 (on Vontae Davis and Sean Smith) and Jones saw the writing on the wall and looked for a better fit for the following year.

McDaniels chose him in part because he said that he&#8217d had trouble beating him in matchups while in New England - interesting, since he was primarily a backup. Jones did a fair, if not overly impressive, job in 2010, with 49 tackles and 3 passes defensed (no INTs, forced or recovered fumbles), but while he was often around the ball earlier in his career, in 2010 he hasn&#8217t shown the burst to break up the plays that Denver needed stopped.

Forcing the offense to run a lot of shorter plays is a legit (although the fans often hate it) defensive tactic that creates more opportunities for mistakes and turnovers, the bend-don&#8217t-break approach, but giving up 1st down yardage regularly isn&#8217t as helpful.

He&#8217s the kind of guy that could be good enough to survive training camp earlier on, but he didn&#8217t play in 2010 like a guy who will manage that next time. He&#8217s supposedly working on a sitcom called Jock Itch that&#8217s aimed at being a locker room kind of &#8216Friends&#8217, so he&#8217s not solely invested in the NFL. His return skills haven&#8217t panned out, and he&#8217s really too small for the modern safety position, reducing his versatility. Denver may be able to do much better than Jones in free agency, when that gets sorted out. Personally, I hope so, but that&#8217s likely going to be a crazy time.

Posted by Doc Bear on 2011-04-12 18:16:55

I appreciate all of your due dilligence here, Doc. You have given us an excellent outline of the working parts of this football team.

Nate Jones - do you have his measureables? Even though he receives a fair amount of criticism, he might be helped significantly by the new scheme. I guess that time will tell how he adjusts.

I think Sadaraine said it - it is welcome to see an article on an area of strength on our football team.

Interesting that the only one of these guys that was here before the McDaniel&#8217s regime was Champ. Glad he was resigned.

Thanks, Doc.

Posted by BlackKnight on 2011-04-12 06:57:43

ncm42, I couldn&#8217t agree more. Bailey has gotten a lot of recognition for his coverage - until the inevitable theories that he&#8217s &#8216lost&#8217 a step came around, which is pretty hard to believe given his performances last season. But I doubt that many outside of the Broncos fans (or even within some of them) are familiar with how incredible his fundamentals, including his tackling, really are. I was thrilled when Elway stepped in and made sure that Denver wouldn&#8217t let him get away.

As far as Jones, OB, I really do appreciate the versatility that his being able to play both safety and CB gives, but I&#8217m not much of a fan of his either. I really thought, from all of the early comments, that Martindale would play much more of an attacking defensive style, into which Jones&#8217 skill at the CB blitz would be an effective piece, but it never seemed to get off the ground. Either Allen will employ him that way, or Denver will need a different player - he struggled in coverage, although some of that was the degree to which he played off. He seemed to lack the power, speed or the finesse to play nickel well - should have been useful as a jack of all trades, but didn&#8217t seem scheme specific for any. I&#8217d be happy to see an upgrade there - but Denver has so many needs that the extent to which they will open the checkbook in whatever free agency occurs will have to tell that tale. Rome wasn&#8217t built in a day - this defense probably won&#8217t be in one offseason. I don&#8217t see Jones as highly productive, so I&#8217m not a big fan of keeping him on.

Posted by Doc Bear on 2011-04-12 04:20:13

Doc, so you think Jones will stick next season based on S/CB combo ability? I&#8217m not a huge fan of his, unless the new D will place more emphasis on CB blitzes. That seems to be his forte which we didn&#8217t use much (from what I saw).

Posted by Orange and Blue on 2011-04-12 02:42:40

Thanks Doc! I know I&#8217m a broken record, but Champ does not get enough recognition outside of Broncos fans for being the BEST tackler in the NFL, fundamentally. The guy is a flat football player. Whatever else The Duke does this year, he gets an A from me, simply for not letting Champ get away&#8230

Posted by ncm42 on 2011-04-12 02:11:05

Sort of makes you wonder what the &#8216Skins were smoking&#8230giving Bailey and a 2nd rounder for Portis. Sure, Portis wasn&#8217t a slouch, but Bailey was, has been and will remain rare, especially when you consider his intangibles.

Syd&#8217Quan = baller, plain and simple. I predict a nice long career. He feels the game. He loves the game. And most importantly, competition seems to amp up his athleticism.

Saw a lot of Cox in college, and he very much stood out on a respectable defense and in an obviously respectable conference. What he lacked most in Denver was his confidence and swagger, which is understandable when you&#8217re a rookie playing opposite Champ on an otherwise vacant defense. He held up well for having a huge target on his head&#8230

Great stuff as always, Doc.

Posted by Drewthorn on 2011-04-12 00:27:39

Sadaraine this is an interesting point

&#8220Maybe we don’t have the kind of guys to be the zone-heavy defense that Foxy prefers, so run man-heavy schemes until you get them…Rome wasn’t built in a day so don’t try to act like it was…lay foundation and get the team going the right direction.&#8221

I think that was one of McD&#8217s problems. He tried to fix it all at once instead of fixing one thing at a time.

Posted by papasteven on 2011-04-11 22:33:19

It is honestly the biggest thing I&#8217m going to be watching for this next year. What will the coaches do with the defense? I think they have amongst them the capability to run zone heavy or man heavy as their base package from a coaching standpoint, but the big thing is this: What can the personnel we have do best?

That&#8217s the thing I want to see from our coaching this year&#8230I don&#8217t care what you do with the defense as long as you aren&#8217t trying to fit round pegs in square holes (like so much of what we&#8217ve seen in the past handful of years). Maybe we don&#8217t have the kind of guys to be the zone-heavy defense that Foxy prefers, so run man-heavy schemes until you get them&#8230Rome wasn&#8217t built in a day so don&#8217t try to act like it was&#8230lay foundation and get the team going the right direction.

/RantOff

Posted by Sadaraine on 2011-04-11 22:18:31

Great read Doc,

With Allen as the DC he might be able to help Vaughn learn more and I agree he could be better served as a kick returner.

I do agree this will be interesting to see this year if they play.

Posted by papasteven on 2011-04-11 22:02:59

Sadaraine, you raise an excellent point on the differences in the backgrounds of the HC and our new DC - it&#8217s one of the things that will make the upcoming season even more interesting.

Will Allen make use of more of the &#8216Robber&#8217 defense that the Saints had a lot of success with, using a &#8216centerfielder&#8217 safety? Can Hill, who had another quiet, excellent year be able to handle that slot, and could McBath (who is technically more proficient) or even Bruton, who is faster and hits harder, be able to handle that? Cover-2 - certainly, nearly ever team uses it at times, but what will predominate? How much zone and how much man? How will the DL be employed, and how much zone blitz will we use?

Goodman&#8217s situation is a perfect example of that, and I appreciate you bringing that out. Good call!

Posted by Doc Bear on 2011-04-11 21:52:42

Amazing numbers on Champ from the combine. He also always passes the eye test - he always looks good and is in the right place at the right time. Great series Doc, thanks so much for your hard work in educating us.

Posted by Ponderosa on 2011-04-11 21:08:09

It is a welcome sight to see an article on an area of strength for our team. I don&#8217t think that Cox will be convicted&#8230from what I&#8217ve read so far they will have a heck of a time getting past &#8220beyond a reasonable doubt&#8221.

While it may be likely that Goodman will go given Fox&#8217s penchant for the zone, don&#8217t forget that we brought in a D-Cord that loves him some man on the outside while bringing the heat. I think Goodman is going to stay and we&#8217ll be in great shape.

I&#8217m glad you enjoy writing these Doc&#8230they are superb and highly appreciated by many of us out here.

Posted by Sadaraine on 2011-04-11 18:05:12

Thanks Doc! It&#8217s nice to have a Bronco&#8217s site with actual content. Keep up the great work.

Posted by MW730 on 2011-04-11 17:43:16

Thanks, Doc! I appreciate your postings, especially when I feel such frustration with the way this season is beginning. Great work, sir!

Go Broncos!

Posted by Bill Curtis, Cedar City, UT on 2011-04-11 17:31:52

You&#8217re welcome, OOYE! Syd couldn&#8217t be timed at Combine due to a hamstring pull and didn&#8217t lift due to a shoulder injury, but on his pro day he had these results:

The more notables were probably these: His 40 time wasn&#8217t fast, but the hamstring may still have been an issue. His 10 yard was good, if not spectacular, his 20 yard mark (1.07 seconds)showed that he can move fairly quickly in a shorter area, as his on-field play also seemed to indicate. The 9.9 yard broad jump indicated good explosion (Champ&#8217s was 10 .01 yards), and he&#8217s got good arm length for his height, which helps when driving one hand between the receiver and the ball. None of it was elite, but I couldn&#8217t find anything on whether the hammie was fully healed, so I take it with a grain of salt. Film remains more important. I like him as a potential nickel, especially as a 7th round player (value was good).

Posted by Doc Bear on 2011-04-11 17:21:30

Thanks Doc! Great stuff.

If you have the data, I&#8217d be curious how Squid&#8217s first 10 yards compare?